Higher education enhances women's self-confidence and skills, reduces inequalities, and improves their status at home. The UN prioritizes women's empowerment as one of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Higher education can help women gain freedom, self-determination, and power worldwide. According to various social science studies, social norms and society also influence women's empowerment. It is evident that human rights and poverty elimination cannot be achieved without the empowerment of women. However, studies have found that women's increased access to higher education and employment have not necessarily altered power relationships within families in some cultures. In this study, cross-sectional survey results and cross-cultural case studies have been used to assess how higher education impacts women's economic and social empowerment. Evidence from Bangladesh, India, Iran, Japan, Philippines, Australia, etc., has been analyzed in cross-sectional case studies. In addition, a small group of university students have participated in a survey to help understand the relationship among these factors. Through this study, it is hypothesized that higher education increases women’s pay, reduces gender violence, and increases women's empowerment. The results of these analyses demonstrate the importance of higher education for women's empowerment. Additionally, these analyses suggest future measures that could be taken to improve women’s empowerment through higher education.

Authors:
Tasnia Alam, BRAC University, Bangladesh

About the Presenter(s)
TASNIA ALAM is a Lecturer at BRAC University in Bangladesh. She worked at Australian National University, Embassy of Japan, Sri Lanka High Commission, World Bank, UNICEF, JICA. Her research interest: Gender, Higher Education, STEM, Digital Marketing.

Additional website of interest
https://www.nbr.org/publication/small-state-responses-to-covid-19/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Schedule

Bookmark